Social media

Welcome and thank you for joining us to discuss supporting kids as they navigate changes to social media access. My name is Kelly Boyd and I'm a psychologist with the Department of Communities and Justice. I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the lands from which we are joining this webinar from.
Like to pay my respects to elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal people joining us, as many of you know, social media restrictions for children under 16 came into effect in Australia on the 10th of December 2025.
For some of the children and young people you care for, this may have been quite a significant shift and a disruption that may have felt unsettling or isolating for them. We know that for many young people, social media is not just entertainment, it's their social world, their identity space, their creative outlet, their.
Community and sometimes their escape kids in out of home care may already be navigating uncertainty around belonging, identity and stability, and the loss or restriction of social media may intensify some of those feelings of disconnection for our teens.
But it's also an opportunity to open the door to new ways of connecting, of building community ties and nurturing their resilience with your guidance and support.
This webinar aims to equip you with an understanding of what the changes to social media access for kids will look like while building your confidence in supporting young people. Through this change, we'll explore how to support kids through the transition, how to talk with them about the changes, how to help them manage feelings of loss.
Or frustration that may arise and how to help them find alternate ways to connect to express themselves and to still feel part of a community.
So what are the changes, age restricted social media platforms are now required to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping accounts. Popular sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok and YouTube are.
Among those now restricted for under Sixteens while YouTube Kids WhatsApp, Roblox, and Messenger are currently permitted.
The new social media restrictions aim to protect young Australians from the pressures and risks that they can be exposed to while logged onto social media accounts. Social media apps are often designed to encourage young people to spend more time on screens while also increasing their risks of exposure to content.
That can be harmful. The new social media age restrictions aim to provide more space for children and young people to develop those critical thinking and digital literacy skills by delaying their access to social media.
So how might this feel for our young people? We know that the adolescent brain is still developing and it's a time when making friends and being accepted by peers is really prioritised. During adolescence, the brain's reward systems are especially tuned into social feedback.
Belonging, which can make online social connections feel very appealing and engaging for young people. The brain regions responsible for planning and self-control are also still developing at this stage, which can make moving away from social media feel very hard for kids.
Yeah.
Teens who have become very dependent on social media for their sense of well-being may experience some withdrawal like symptoms during this period of transition. You might notice more frequent mood swings, withdrawal from family life, changes to sleep patterns or appetite. They may become more impatient.
Or short tempered, understanding this in the context of how the adolescent brain is developing can help us as adults respond with empathy and to support our kids through this transition away from social media.
So how will the age restriction work? Social media platforms will bear the responsibility to ensure that under Sixteens cannot access their service, they will develop their own processes for this and they face significant fines if they are found not to be taking reasonable steps to prevent kids.
Under 16 from opening or continuing to access accounts, there will be no penalty for children who access age restricted social media accounts and no penalties for their parents or their carers.
So let's take a moment to reflect on how the young people that you care for are feeling about the changes to social media access. Consider what worries your kids have shared with you and what worries you may have as a carer for some children and young people. They may be worried about losing important connection.
Social media is a core element of teen friendships. Today, it's one of the most common ways to chat with friends, to make new friends and to keep up to date with each other's lives. Many teens will find connection and comfort in these digital spaces, and for those who use social media as their.
Main way of connecting and getting support. They may find these changes particularly hard. The benefits of social media connection can be especially valued by teens from diverse backgrounds and those who may struggle to see themselves represented in the physical world around them.
Teens may also perceive the restriction of social media as a loss of freedom or control. Having freedom to make their own choices and decisions is an important part of typical development for teenagers as they grow into adulthood.
Perceived loss of control can feel even more overwhelming for a young person who may have experienced early trauma. Many young people may struggle with accepting the restrictions and could find it difficult to manage this period of transition away from social media.
Change for anyone can be overwhelming and it's important that we acknowledge that as trusted adults, our role is to listen, to validate the feelings that our teens are experiencing and to support them. During this time, no matter how we, as an adult, may be feeling about the social media changes for young people this.
May feel as though they're losing a large part of their world.
So how can we support our young people with this transition? It's important to have a conversation with kids about the changes creating a safe space for them to feel heard, supported, and empowered to make moving away from social media as stress free as possible.
To prepare well for having the conversation with your team to talk about those changes and what it means for that, your child, let them know ahead of time that you want to have a chat about the changes that gives them some time to think and to prepare for the conversation. Choose a place and a time that's relaxed and free from distractions.
If you have more than one child, think about whether it's best to discuss the changes as a family or a household, or whether it's better to have an individual conversation and pause in checking in with yourself. Am I feeling calm and settled? Am I feeling prepared for a potentially tricky or emotional conversation?
Some ways to open the conversation with your young person could be I know social media is a really big part of how you connect and share with your friends. Have you spoken with your friends about the social media changes? How are you all feeling about it?
Explain that the restrictions are there to protect them and not to punish them and ask how they're currently using social media. What are your favourite apps? What do you like to spend your time doing online? This will really help in working together to make an action plan to support your young person through this period of.
Transition the action plan on this slide is available to download for free on the E Safety Commissioner website, and it supports young people to take the following steps. Number one is making a list of the apps or the platforms that your young person has been using and helping them to think about.
About who were the important people, groups, creators or services that they liked to connect with? Is it that they love Facebook? Because that's where they get to access a lot of family photos and videos. Or perhaps they use TikTok to connect to a special area of interest.
Help them to identify those important connections. The next step is to complete a data download. Now some apps may have allowed kids to download the data they had on an app before the restrictions came into place. For others, that may not may no longer be possible. Supporting your team to make a list.
Of friends or social media handles of creators that they like to follow, essentially making a social media time capsule so that when they are old enough to consider rejoining social media, they have a record of the content that they enjoyed.
Yeah.
Next is finding alternate methods to maintain connections, helping young people to safely swap contact details with important people. Setting up group chats somewhere else that isn't restricted to maintain those connections where possible, and looking at where they still may be able to access content that they enjoy.
O for a content creator, do they have a web page that can be accessed or a podcast that can be downloaded? Are there other channels or platforms that are not restricted?
Yeah.
Once the changes are in place, it's important to keep checking in with your team to see how they're coping, how they're adjusting to the changes, focus on supporting them to maintain those important connections, encourage off screen time. So finding new activities to do together, or finding ways for them to spend time with.
Their peers supporting them to explore a new hobby, or perhaps setting some goals for trying something new. It's also important to model healthy digital habits ourselves, children and young people learn by watching the adults around them, so modelling healthy digital habits can be a really powerful tool for care.
To encourage under Sixteens to feel that it's OK not to have social media accounts develop some rules as a family around device use and those rules should apply to everyone in the household. It's really important to develop strategies collaboratively with kids. They are more likely to understand and follow strategies.
That they have created with you. Remember that the aim of delaying social media account access until 16 is to give young people more time to develop important digital, social and emotional skills before facing the risks of age restricted social media accounts.
It's important not to assume that just because your teen is off social media that they will now be safe online. We know that children are likely to find other spaces online, and the ban only covers certain platforms, so provide opportunities for children to develop critical digital literacy skills and what that means is that.
Young people are able to effectively assess what they are reading and seeing online and not just taking it as space at face value. So having Internet safety and security discussions with your kids, talking about passwords, appropriate websites, safe ways to chat, sharing of information and images.
Talking about the importance of maintaining privacy online, not sharing your location and asking questions, do you know what can happen to images that you share online? How can you tell if the person that you're talking to online is who they say they are?
Providing supervision for kids using devices is also really important, particularly for young children, to reduce the potential risk of harm. Younger children should only be using the Internet with active supervision. As kids get older, they should become more active participants in their own Internet.
Safety and you can move into a supportive role. Upskilling kids to understand Internet safety and the practical ways that they can stay safe online is vital.
Even with the best planning and support, it is likely that your kids will still try to access age restricted sites. If this happens, it's important to respond calmly and supportively remaining calm and approaching the conversation with curiosity rather than judgement will help kids to feel safe to come to.
To you, if they do encounter something upsetting online, reacting with anger or punishment can break kids trust in you and stop that ongoing communication, which increases risk and doesn't provide the opportunities to develop those critical digital literacy skills.
So working together with your teen and acknowledging that it is difficult to manage the impulse to sneak access, validate their feelings around the social media restrictions that can really help kids to feel seen and heard. And it's also an important part of setting limits with your child. You know, it sounds like you're feeling left out and that's.
It's a really hard feeling. I can't set up a new account for you, but let's figure out what's missing problem solving together to find ways of meeting their needs. So is it that they're seeking more connections with their friends, or are they feeling a longing to use their creativity?
Try to find ways to support them to meet those needs. This is also a really great time to be reinforcing and reviewing technology agreements within the home. Letting kids know that you won't punish them for accessing banned sites, but you do want to focus on keeping them safe.
And remaining mindful of restrictive practises in relation to removing devices or restricting Internet. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please talk to your caseworker and ensure that any use of restrictive practises are appropriate and supported by a behaviour support plan.
You might notice some behaviour changes in your kids during this time of transition, particularly if they have been quite reliant on social media for their social connections. If you are noticing that your child is becoming increasingly withdrawn, that changes in mood are persisting.
If they're having trouble sleeping or sleeping more than usual, if there's an increase in risk taking behaviour or any disclosure of suicidal thoughts, please seek additional help. Talk to your caseworker and help your team to access appropriate mental health supports.
Some helpful resources for teens. Kids Helpline website has a section devoted to supporting teens with the social media changes they have online web chat counselling or telehealth counselling available and some really great practical suggestions for teens to support them during this change.
Likewise with headspace. They also have specific resources on their website and web chat counselling available 13 yarn beyond blue and reach out also offer telehealth counselling and additional supports.
For carers, the E Safety Commissioner website has a vast array of resources specific to the social media changes. We also have a webinar on the links, training and support website called keeping Kids Safe Online. If you feel that you require further support while supporting your team through this transition.
Please talk to your case worker. You may be eligible to access support through DCJ psychological services or your agency's therapeutic supports. Caring with kids telehealth. Counselling support is also available for all carers. Thanks so much for joining us today and for your ongoing commitment to supporting young.
People through these changes to social media access.